Episode #263: Charlie McMahan – How To Build A Tribe From 50 To 5,000

Charlie McMahan has been the Lead Pastor of SouthBrook Church since 1992. He is focused on developing future leaders and spends many hours a week mentoring others (including me).

Charlie has led SouthBrook from a small church that originally met in an elementary school to now hosting more than 5,000 members per weekend. He has a deep understanding for how to build a loyal tribe of people.

We recorded this in front of my teammates at Brixey & Meyer. You can watch it here:

We are hosting a workshop on developing YOUR personal excellence as a leader. For details and availability, go toRyanHawk.me

Charlie’s dad was gone 25 days a month (he later found out he was in the CIA)

The reason he turns down big opportunities is because he doesn’t want to travel and wants to be with his family

Levels of communication with kids

Don’t spend money on stuff, spend money on experiences — Their place is Hilton Head

Process for Charlie’s performances (his speeches/sermons)

The word entertainment means “To hold people’s attention”

The Process:

Teaser – Something that grabs you

Tension – The inductive part of speaking that you have to do today. So the listeners know “this is important.” If you don’t do this, people will leave

Truth

Take Home – The practical “do”

Together – “Isn’t this the kind of person we want to be?”

Most preachers were trained to be deductive… You can’t do that now. You need to help them draw their own conclusions.

Finding a way to weave stories and science together

The Medici Effect – The renaissance happened because seemingly disconnected entities were connected.

“I’m always figuring out how disconnected entities connect”

“The upside of stress”

“Emotions are like waves. You can’t choose which ones come, but you can choose which to ride.”

Choose to embrace stress, it can have a positive impact on you

Create a habit of how you look at life:

How long did it take you to put this message together? “30 hours and a lifetime.”

The intersection of the reality of the struggles with Charlie’s kids and applying it to the lives of the people you serve

What is it like to be the children of someone as successful as Charlie?

“Our kids had so much pressure on them. We didn’t appreciate how much it was.”

“The Famous Father Syndrome” – Kids choose to differentiate from their parents because they can’t win that game

Advice give to parents:

“When you walk in the room, the temperature will go up for them. Kids need stress to grow.”

“The stress free life is the dying life”

“When we walked in the room, the temperature went way up for my kids. The same heat that drove me, burned them.” –> “Most parenting things you learn 5 minutes too late”

PLAY – Personality type, Learning style, Ability level, Yes factor — “You don’t have to cave under the pressure. It doesn’t have to destroy you”

Growing a church from 50 people to 5,000 per weekend. How?

Has to be a commitment to excellence that is YOU — Has to be in ALL areas of your life. “Excellence is a habit.”

“Excellence is expressing my worth… Ennobling others because I care. Perfectionism is trying to earn my worth by being perfect… And that is dangerous.” Be careful to not think, “I have to be perfect or I”m not worth anything.”

“Maturity is way underrated”

“Excellence comes out of peace. In excellence the process is as much of importance as the product.”

“I don’t have grammatical errors on the manuscript that nobody else ever sees.”

“Excellence is the right people doing the right things for the right reasons.”

“The right motivations are not so compulsive.”

“The constant burden of leadership is the constant interception of entropy.”

“There is constant gravitational pull to become like everyone else.”

“Our church is for someone who doesn’t like church.” Why? “Because I didn’t like church.”

How do you handle the immense value of YOU as the leader? And the success moving forward without you?

“We’re constantly in process of finding the next leader.” “When you’ve been some place a long time, you become in the way.”

Level 5 leader helps a place be better after they are gone

How to build a tribe?

Max DuPree – What are your unique tribal speaks?

The 5 S’s of SouthBrook:

Solitude, Scripture, Service, Support, Significant Events

“A Tribe is where story and strategy meet.”

What is it like the minute before you go on stage?

“I used to panic. It took me 10 years to get over the “what am I doing!?”

“Leading is so presumptuous.”

“I’ve never stepped behind a microphone where I didn’t believe that I could save people’s lives. I truly believe every word I’m saying.”

“I can’t wait to share this.”

“I didn’t think about public speaking until I had to give a three minute speech my junior year in college. Something happened at that speech. People leaned in.”

“Hitting the 10,000 hour mark has helped me. It’s easier to prepare. I’m a huge believer in putting in the time.”

Charlie writes 3,500 words per week. Then put on the iPad and have it while on stage… “I memorize that by Friday.”

“I’m a master at self condemnation.”

Why be so critical of yourself?

“It can be a safety mechanism. If we self criticize, we won’t get as much criticism. And it does connect with people.”

Developing future leaders

“The test of leadership is the ability to reproduce yourself in others… The good parts of yourself that should be reproduced.”

“The path from direction to delegation”

“If I don’t succeed in succession, then I will have failed.”

“You can’t be a farmer, you have to be a rancher who raises up other farmers.”

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This is my life’s work. It’s what I’m most passionate about. I’m fascinated by the stories that detail how others have lived a life of excellence, and I try to do the same. I would love to have you join me on the journey.

This is my life’s work. It’s what I’m most passionate about. I’m fascinated by the stories that detail how others have lived a life of excellence, and I try to do the same. I would love to have you join me on the journey.